Luke 13 begins with breaking news reported to Jesus. Some Galileans traveled to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. Under orders of Pilate, Roman soldiers stormed the temple and massacred the worshipers. After this atrocity in the holy place, the blood of the worshipers and the blood of their sacrifices flowed in a common stream. 

Without comment on the personal tragedy, political violence, or legal implications of Pilate’s blasphemous act, Jesus responded to the theological assumptions of those who reported this news. Verses 2-3 read: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” 

Jesus played reporter in verse 4: “Or the eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them.” A tower in Siloam collapsed suddenly and unexpectedly. Eighteen bystanders were crushed by falling debris. It was not the moral outrage Pilate’s sacrilege was. It was no less tragic. Jesus comments on this freak accident in verses 4-5: “Do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you: but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Jesus’ response focused on the reporters, not the victims. When tragedy strikes, we blame God. The ancients blamed the victim, believing godly people succeed and wicked people suffer. It was the theology of Job’s friends, who concluded Job harbored unconfessed sin because of his severe suffering. Likewise, these self-appointed reporters assumed those who died in these tragedies died because they were worse sinners than others. “But unless you repent,” Jesus responds, “you will all likewise perish.” “Repent” assumes the reporters were also guilty sinners. To repent is to make a U-turn and come back to God. It involves contrition, confession, and conversion. “Perish” is eternal punishment, not physical death. Worse than dying tragically is to die without God and spend eternity in hell. 

This is the first text I preached after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. I called it “Jesus’ Response to a National Tragedy.” The sermon offended some members. I think that’s the right response. Jesus says, “But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” This is the occasion of the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree. It is an appendix to Jesus’ call to repent. Get right with God while you have a chance.

Satan held a meeting about how to condemn damn souls. It was recommended they tell people God is not real. Or that they deny that Jesus is Savior and Lord. Or that they claim heaven and hell are fairytales. These recommendations were all rejected. Then someone proposed that they affirm these truths but tell people they have time to respond. The motion was passed unanimously. Don’t be deceived. 

Ada Habershon wrote, “The barren fig tree is a warning to a fruitless world, a fruitless sinner, a fruitless church, or a fruitless believer.” Get right with God while you have a chance. Why should you get right with God while you have a chance?

The Landowner

The landowner represents God’s holy justice. Consider what he sought and said.

What He Sought. Verse 6 describes the fair but futile expectation of the landowner: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.”

A Fair Expectation. The landowner had every right and reason to seek fruit from the fig tree. It belonged to him. The tree did not grow spontaneously or independently. The landowner had the fig tree planted in his vineyard. It was strategically planted in a fertile and fruitful place. This was no neglected tree. It received special treatment that it may bear fruit. Isaiah 5:4, “What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” The landowner could have asked this question. The landowner who planted, provided for, and protected the tree had a right to expect it to bear fruit. 

A Futile Expectation. Verse 6 says, “And he came seeking fruit on it and found none.” Seeking is a primary subject of Luke’s Gospel. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” The landowner came to the tree seeking fruit. Yet he found none. The tree did not produce limited, unripe, or bitter fruit. It was a complete disappointment. Foliage concealed fruitlessness. The landowner drew near hopeing to find figs among the leaves, only to discover the tree had produced nothing. The barren fig tree indicts us all.

• God has taken pleasure in you.
• God has planted you. 
• God has provided for you. 
• God has protected you. 
• God has been patient with you. 

What return on investment is the Lord receiving from your life? 

What He Said. What did the landowner say about the barren fig tree? 

A Statement. Verse 7 says, “And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit from this tree, and I find none.’” The landowner expressed his frustrations to the vinedresser. He came to this tree for three years seeking fruit. “For three years” indicates a long time. The landowner must not be accused of acting rashly. He had been patient with the barren fig tree, giving it repeated chances to bear fruit. This time reference may be a subtle way Jesus inserts himself into the parable. His public ministry lasted three years. Yet those he sought to save refused to repent of their sins and trust in him. The landowner patiently returned to the fig tree over an extended period with no results. 

A Command. The landowner ordered, “Cut it down.” It was his vineyard. It was his fig tree. It was his right to cut it down. The tree deserved to be cut down. So, the frustrated landowner ordered the severe, immediate, and total destruction of the barren fig tree. Cut it down! That’s the landowner’s solution to the problem of fruitless trees. God’s holy justice requires the same punishment for fruitless people. We may fool people by how leafy our lives are. The Lord sees your fruitlessness. In light of his goodness, you have no excuse. You would be cut down if the Lord gave you what you deserved! 

A Question. The landowner asks, “Why should it use up the ground?” This rhetorical question condemns the barren fig tree for receiving without producing. It was a wise business decision to cut it down. The tree was worse than useless. Not only had it failed to bear fruit, but it occupied space that could be put to better use. By its strong roots, it drew moisture and minerals from the soil that was needed by other plants. The landowner was utterly disgusted that this tree he had planted in his vineyard produced no fruit for him. Hear in the landowner’s words the Lord’s rebuke of those who make moral judgments about others. 

• Rather than asking why they were murdered in the temple, ask why your life was spared.
• Rather than asking why the tower in Siloam fell on those eighteen people, ask why a tower hasn’t fallen on you.  
• Rather than asking why others have died, ask why you are still here. 

The Vinedresser 

The vinedresser is the Christ-figure of the parable. It is because of his intervention that the landowner is merciful. The landowner was not advised by a committee.

• Only the vinedresser is in the presence of the landowner. 
• Only the word of the vinedresser carries weight with the landowner. 
• Only the intervention of the vinedresser spares the tree. 
• Only the work of the vinedresser can change the hopeless situation. 

The vinedresser represents the exclusivity and sufficiency of Christ. John 14:6 says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Only repentance of sin and faith in Christ can make us right with God. Verses 8-9 make this point dramatically through the vinedresser’s intervention.

A Plea for This Year. The vinedresser makes a twofold request on behalf of the barren fig tree. 

Let It Alone. Verse 8 says, “And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also.’” Note the audacity of the vinedresser. He requests that the landowner’s verdict be overturned. He does so without questioning the landowner’s authority or denying the tree’s uselessness. Yet the vinedresser expects the landowner to give the tree another chance because he asked. Here is why the final judgment has not yet come. 

• We have given God more reason to judge us than hardhearted Pharaoh. 
• We have given God more reason to judge us than the days of Noah’s flood. 
• We have given God more reason to judge us than Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Why has God’s wrath not destroyed the world? A Mediator pleads with God to let it alone this year also. What is true of the world is true of each of us. We are not alive because of our fruitfulness or faithfulness. You are a sinner who deserves to perish. But there has been something standing in the way, restraining the wrath of God that your life may be spared. The technical theology term for it is mercy. Mercy is when God withholds the trouble, judgment, or evil you deserve. 

Let Me Work. The vinedresser did not request the fig tree be spared to remain in its fruitless state. He supported his appeal for leniency with a promise of his personal involvement and investment. The barren fig tree cannot reverse its condition on its own. It needs an outside source to work on its behalf. The vinedresser volunteers to “dig around it and put on manure.” Kenneth Bailey considers this “insult humor.” The opening of the parable assumes that the planted fig tree has received the best care. Yet the vinedresser speaks as if it was not the tree’s fault that it was fruitless. 

• It needs the soil around it to be loosened. 
• It needs manure to make the soil fertile. 

Was this not care the tree already received? The vinedresser asked permission to give the barren fig tree more than it deserved. Mercy said let it alone this year also. Grace said let me dig around it and put on manure. This gracious request illustrates how the Lord works on us to make us fruitful. It is not a pretty process. There are things he must dig up and out to change you. Is it a desire? Is it a habit? Is it a person? Let it go! Fruit will not grow until the soil is loosened. As he digs around it, he must also put on manure. It may be the manure of sickness, sorrow, or suffering. Fruitfulness requires fertilization. Can you handle the mess in your life? The Lord is not making a mess of your life. He’s doing whatever it takes to help you grow. 

A Plan for Next Year. As the vinedresser pleaded the tree be spared, he planned for two contingencies.

A Possible Conversion. Verse 9 says, “Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good.” Jesus takes us back to the point of the parable. The tree was planted to bear fruit. It does not have to become the greatest tree in the vineyard. But it must convert from useless to fruitful. If it bears fruit in the coming year, all will be well and good. The “if” clause is left hanging in the Greek text. It is not followed by a “then” clause. “Well and good” is added by translators. The original emphasizes the urgency of the situation. The tree must bear fruit before it’s too late. 

A Possible Condemnation. Verse 9 ends: “But if not, you can cut it down.” The vinedresser advocated for the tree. He was willing to do whatever it took to change its condition. Yet he conceded that it may all be for nothing. If the tree bore fruit, the vinedresser would get the credit. If it remained unfruitful, the tree would be without excuse. “You can cut it down” reflects the vinedresser’s care and concern no matter the outcome. 

David Garland comments, “A barren fig tree will not be allowed to encumber the ground forever. God cannot afford profitless trees. The tree must respond to this extra special care or it will be cut down.” 

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree is open-ended. The vinedresser intercedes with the landowner for the tree. After his proposal, the lights come on. The actors leave the stage. The curtain falls. We are left in suspense. 

• Did the barren fig tree bear fruit? 
• Did the vinedresser’s care work? 
• Was the tree cut down or spared? 

These questions are not answered. Why? The story is not about the tree. It’s about you and me. Only you can fill in the blanks. You must answer for yourself. Why am I still here? Am I just taking up space? Is my life bearing fruit? Do I need to get right with God? God is gracious and infinite. Grace is not infinite. God sets limits on his mercy, patience, and forbearance. The God of the second chance is the God of the last chance. God is slow to anger. If you are slow to repent, slow anger will catch up with you. Get right with God while you have a chance. 

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

An evangelist preached in a small town. He later received a letter from a father asking him to pray for his wayward son to come home. Two years later, when the evangelist returned to that town, he met the father at the train station, waiting for his wayward son to come home. He did not visit that town again until eleven years later. When he arrived at the train station, that old man was there, waiting for his son to come home. How long has the heavenly Father been waiting for you to come home to him?